Terry Bullett with the University of Colorado, John Swoboda with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Justin Mabie with the University of Colorado/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (CU/ NOAA), Brett Isham, and Monica Larson, from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico worked in collaboration with many different organizations, such as NASA, Virginia Tech, the Navy, and many more in order to collect valuable data the days before, during, and after the eclipse. The group had their scientific station located in the field just south of the Niobrara County Fairgrounds.  They monitored their equipment in order to gather data about the effects the total solar eclipse had on the earth’s atmospheric layer. They describe the effects of the eclipse similar to dropping a vary large rock into a still pool. The Eclipse caused ripples in the earth’s layers.  Among the various instruments they used to collect this data, were a large tower, which used its guide wires as the actual antennae, and a GPS satellite.  Lusk was chosen because of its location in the line of totality and also because it has a similar earthy element and on the same magnetic line as Boulder, Colorado where this equipment had been set up previously. These instruments usually take months to set up, but they tried to have as much preliminary work done as possible before the Eclipse. They took readings through the GPS satellite, which measures movements within the atmospheric layers, and large directional radio wave antennas that would tell them where the waves had bounced. After collecting all of the data, it will still need to be reviewed. The group will be working with other various organizations to determine their results. Once they have a better understanding of the numbers, they will hopefully be able to ask better scientific questions about solar eclipses and their effects of the earth’s atmospheric layer. The data collected during this event will allow them the resources to answer those questions at the next North American total solar eclipse April 8, 2024 when it makes it ways from Mexico, enters the US at Texas, cuts a diagonal line to Maine and up into Canada. 

See photo A-8.